DAMASCUS, Syria — As the clock ran out on the Arab League’s mission in Syria, the observers were largely confined to their hotels while the 22-member regional bloc fended off accusations of failure and wrestled with the problem of what to do next.
The one-month mission was intended to determine whether the Syrian government was keeping its pledge to end its crackdown on a 10-month uprising. The question as the deadline expired Thursday was whether an expanded but still limited mission was better than no mission at all. With no sign of a letup in the bloodshed in Syria, Arab foreign ministers meeting Sunday in Cairo must decide whether to keep going. The mission can be extended for a month with the agreement of the Syrian government.
Denver Post wire services
